


Fool's Gold

by Roxxyoursoxx



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bondage, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Past Rape/Non-con, Pirates, Scenting, Sexism, Sexual Slavery, Slow Burn, it starts out dark but we get better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:49:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23478004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roxxyoursoxx/pseuds/Roxxyoursoxx
Summary: Pirate Captain Gnash is feared in all seven seas for being heartless. A monster. But one day, while taking down an enemy ship, he finds an omega locked in a cage. And maybe he does have a heart after all...
Relationships: Beckett Gnash/Riley Peters, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 19
Kudos: 215





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone knew of Captain Gnash.

He was the monster waiting in the dark parents would tell their kids of so they would behave. He was the cold-blooded killer men feared. He could sink an enemy ship with the wave of his hand. He’d cut down the lives of children without blinking.

If you found yourself in front of him or his ship, you were already dead.

There was already a battle ongoing. Captain Gnash wasn’t one to let his crew do all the work, boarding the soon to be destroyed ship and slashing at everyone in his path.

He didn’t blink as their rivals went down. Didn’t think. Took enough time to recognize the man in front of him as one not from his crew before cutting them down with a single slice of his blade.

And they went down. Gnash wasn’t known as the most fearsome pirate in the world for nothing. He knew every man’s weak spot. Used it to his advantage to have them collapsing to the floor, choking on their own blood and praying for the sweet release of death in no time at all.

When the last pirate not loyal to him was down, he was the first to scavenge the ship. He left obvious ship-upkeep supplies to his men--food, wood, and ammo--and focused on this ship’s riches, if any.

There was always, of course, gold. No ship came without spending money for when they reached town again.

But this ship’s treasure was found locked in its jail.

It was an unspoken rule that omegas weren’t allowed on ships. Better to protect their fragile sensibilities.

But the body chained up here was definitely omegan. Naked. Gnash could see every bruise the omega had, its ribs so visible that Gnash could count each one under its sickly skin.

The omega looked up at him, and Gnash could see the terror in its eyes. Gnash took in how the omega trembled, slowly bringing its hands down from its ears before crawling toward Gnash. It cleared its throat, looking up at Gnash expectantly.

“How can I serve you?”

Its hands reached up to Gnash’s groin, palming him through his pants, but Gnash jerked away.

He could tell the horror was showing on his face, but Gnash didn’t bother to hide it. This omega was still trembling, but it was putting on a brave face, close to the bars of its cage and looking at Gnash expectantly.

“I can use my hands, my mouth, or my hole to service you.”

“Captain, we--”

“ _Leave_ ,” Gnash growled out, turning on whichever of his dumb crew was coming down here. He watched as they immediately turned around, going back to where they came before he turned back to the omega.

He had assumed the omega’s hoarse voice was because it wasn’t getting water, but he knew now that he was wrong. The omega’s lips were still puffy and bruised from the last person it serviced, and Gnash could see dried streaks of cum everywhere.

“I’m getting you out of here,” Gnash said, eyeing the lock. “You’ll be dropped off at the next port. Understand?”

The omega nodded, but something about it didn’t seem as happy as Gnash would have expected. “Yes, Alpha.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bringing an omega onboard was more difficult than Gnash expected.

First of all, he had to watch his crew. Bringing an omega onboard a ship full of alphas and betas who hadn’t seen the fairer dynamic in months was dangerous. Gnash would have to keep a close eye on them lest a mutiny arise.

Second of all, Gnash wanted to feed the omega and get him cleaned up, but the only man he could trust in this ship now was himself. The omega needed proper care away from his men, but he wouldn’t lock the omega up like those  _ savages _ they had just killed.

Gnash brought the omega into his own quarters. “You will stay here until we come to port. I will bring you a meal and some water to wash up in. If you are tired, you may use the hammock, but otherwise do not touch anything and do  _ not _ leave this room. Do I need to Command you?”

The omega shook its head, its fingers interlocked and hovering in front of its chest. “No, alpha.”

So Gnash left, heading down to the kitchen first.

His cook, Roy, was already in the ship’s kitchen, starting up the crew’s dinner when Gnash arrived.

“What can I do for you, Captain?” Roy asked, not even looking up from the food he was preparing.

“I need you to make a meal for… our guest. An omega.”

Roy paused, looking over at his captain. “An omega?”

“Just until we get to port. It was locked up in the other ship. And I trust you won’t try to start anything.”

Trusting Roy like this was a gamble. There was always the chance that anyone Gnash turned to would go against his orders. Seek out the omega for themselves. But Roy was his safest bet. As one of the only betas on the ship, Roy wasn’t pulled around by his nose. Most scents didn’t affect him in the same way it did alphas. And he knew how to cook.

“I’ll have something up as soon as I can,” Roy promised.

Gnash moved on to getting a bucket of water and a rag. They would be supplies found deeper into the ship, where all his crew was. But if the crew suspected something was happening besides their departure from another battle, they didn’t say anything. Didn’t look at Gnash any differently.

When he returned to his room, he found the omega still standing in the center, looking around at everything.

Gnash placed the bucket down a little more harshly than he meant, drawing the omega’s attention. He held out the rag. “Wash yourself up.”

Once the omega took the rag, Gnash turned, giving it some privacy. Instead, he took the time to look through his own clothes.

Everything Gnash owned would be too big for the omega, but there was nothing that could be done. He could only bring out a white shirt and a black pair of pants and try to keep them up with… rope?

There was a knock on the door, so Gnash set the clothes to the side and moved to answer it. He opened the door partway, just enough to see who was on the other side and for them to see him, but not the omega further in the room.

Roy stood with a tray in his hands, pieces of bread and a bowl of some sort of soup on display. “You said he was a prisoner, so I brought some things that are a little easier to digest. T-There’s always more, of course, but--!”

“Thank you, Roy. If it needs anything else, I will let you know,” Gnash said, taking the tray and closing the door.

The omega was finishing up cleaning itself when Gnash turned back, so Gnash put the tray on his desk. “There. Clothes and food. Otherwise, you are to stay in here.”

“Yes, alpha.”

So Gnash left the omega, moving on to his usual duties as captain of his own ship.

One of Gnash’s favorite things about having his own ship was being alone with the stars at night. When his crew was asleep and it was just him sailing the seven seas.

A door opened, and Gnash watched as the omega stuck its head out of the doorway, looking around before spotting Gnash and heading over.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay in the room?” Gnash asked, trying not to look at the omega. Which was difficult, as the omega had apparently decided to forgo the pants and only wear a too-large white shirt.

Luckily, his crew was in their own quarters.

“Can’t sleep,” the omega mumbled, coming up to Gnash’s side. “Let me stay out here?”

“If you speak, I’m locking you up in that room.”

The omega sat, pressing itself against the side of Gnash’s leg.

Gnash sighed, trying to ignore the omega the best he could.

It was just him, the stars, and his ship.

Him.

The stars.

And his ship.

The omega was shivering. Gnash said nothing for a full minute. Sixty seconds. And then he was shrugging off his jacket and dropping it on the omega’s shoulders.

The omega purred, looking up at Gnash, but Gnash kept his eyes forward, watching the sea.

“Don’t come out here in just a shirt, and you won’t get cold.”

The omega smiled, burrowing into the jacket. “Yes, alpha.”


	3. Chapter 3

Gnash was known around the world as a monster. The ruthless captain who didn’t hesitate to cut down what he didn’t like. He kept his crew on a tight leash, and no one, not even his own crew, survived his ship.

But in truth, he must have had a bleeding heart. He could see what cruelty the world had to offer, but he couldn’t-- _wouldn’t_ \--add to it.

The omega was the first person in years who he treated almost kindly. It had fallen asleep as they watched the stars, and Gnash had picked it up, carrying it to his room and settling it softly in his own bed.

Which left him with nowhere to sleep.

Was he stupid? Had instincts already driven him to that sort of insanity alphas got around omegas?

He turned to face the bed again. Then, he paused. This was an omega--a _person_ \--who had been locked up in nightmarish conditions. Surely, the omega was allowed one nice thing in life.

But Gnash wouldn’t allow himself to get too close to an omega. The beasts who lured pirates to their watery graves weren’t real, but an omega’s scent was its own siren song to alphas. The omega would stay locked in this room, but it would receive as many comforts as Gnash could provide, and Gnash would try his hardest to stay away.

And that was how Pirate Captain Gnash, the most fearsome alpha on the seven seas, was kicked out of his own bed and to a spot on the floor.

If he was sore the next day from spending a night on the floor, Gnash didn’t know it. It would be a sign of weakness, and Pirate Captain Gnash had no weaknesses.

He woke before the omega, quietly getting dressed before going outside to lead his crew.

They would stop at the next town for supplies, and Gnash would drop the omega off, whether it was from that town or not. It could be its own person, have its own adventure, and their stories would never entwine again.

He sent Roy to deliver food to the omega. As a beta, Roy would not be susceptible to omegan pheromones, even if left alone.

Plus, if anything happened to the omega, Gnash would know exactly which of his crew to throw over the edge of the ship.

Roy seemed to want to speak with him after his delivery, the cook’s brow furrowed in concern, but Gnash shook his head. If it wasn’t important, he didn’t want to hear it.

And it must not have been, as Roy dropped it.

The sun was high in the sky when movement caught Gnash’s attention. Although it originated on his ship, it was _not_ the regular movement of his men working around him.

It was the door to his quarters opening, an omegan head popping out.

All movement on the ship stopped. Even the sea seemed to still, suspended in the surprise of the situation.

Gnash could hear the murmurs of the surprised crew around him, each one expressing their astonishment to a neighbor.

“Why is there an omega on our ship?”

“Since _when_ has there been an omega on our ship?”

“Is Captain Gnash _gettin’ it_ behind our backs?”

“I thought omegas weren’t allowed on the ship!”

“Look at him… He’s all skin and bones….”

The omega didn’t seem to notice that it was the center of attention. Or, if it did, it didn’t care. It strode right up to Gnash, the crowd parting to let it through.

It walked until they were almost chest-to-chest, definitely in Gnash’s personal space. Then, it murmured “I want to help out.”

“No,” Gnash said immediately. Unthinkingly.

It pouted. “Why not? I can do chores. Work.”

Gnash wasn’t going to comment on how it looked like even a dry rag would be too heavy for it. “Do you see how the crew is staring at you?”

Its eyes flickered to the side, although it didn’t really need to. “Yes.”

“You’re a distraction. The only omega on a ship full of alphas.” And betas, but they didn’t really count. “You should stay inside.”

“But it’s boring in there!” It countered. “I’ve already cleaned in there, and omegas are only good for cleaning and fucking! At least if I clean out here, everyone will be constantly messing things up, and I can clean after them!”

Gnash opened his mouth to reply, but there was so much wrong with what the omega had just said, he wasn’t sure where to start. Instead, he sent a glare to those of his crew still milling about, ordering them back to work without a single word.

They scattered, each of them moving quickly to get back to work, and Gnash turned back to the omega, choosing his words carefully. “The crew doesn’t need a distraction. And you’re… You’ve been locked away for a very long time. Not treated the way you should. You need rest.”

“I’ve worked on a ship before,” the omega snipped. “Not just servicing the crew. There’s always something to be done, and no time for resting. I’m an omega, not a prize to be locked away!”

Gnash cocked an eyebrow, but when the omega’s expression didn’t change, he sighed. The omega wanted work. Gnash didn’t want the omega near his crew.

The answer crept up to him so sneakily, he didn’t know he was looking at it until it was impossible to ignore. 

The galley.

None of his crew entered the galley unless they really needed to, as it was a small, enclosed space. The only person who was ever in there was Roy, and he was already on Gnash’s list of people he could trust with the omega.

Not even Gnash himself was on that list, really. He could--truly--trust no one, not even himself.

But the omega wanted work, and cooking was omegan, wasn’t it?

“Follow me,” Gnash said, and led the omega into the ship.

They passed members of the crew as they walked, and Gnash kept an eye out for anyone whose instincts threatened to take over at even the mere sight of an omega. But word of what happened on deck seemed to spread fast, as every member of Gnash’s crew kept their head lowered and their eyes on their work.

Like well-trained dogs.

They reached the galley without issue, and Gnash opened the door, guiding the omega in first with a gentle hand on its back.

The air in the galley was always a few degrees warmer than anything outside of it, due to the fact that the stove was almost always on. And it was rather small to begin with, but the inclusion of enough food for an entire crew with an insufficient storage system made it even smaller.

Roy was sitting on one of the wooden crates, taking one of the few breaks he had to eat his own food. He stood as the omega and Gnash walked in, setting his food to the side and swallowing the bite in his mouth quickly. “What can I do for you?”

“You have an assistant,” Gnash said, gesturing to the omega. “Make sure no one comes in and… messes with it. _Including you_.”

Roy nodded, turning his attention to the omega and smiling kindly. “Have you ever cooked before?”

The omega shook its head. “No. But I’m happy to learn!”

Silently, Gnash left them to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized earlier today that I wasn't liking the way I was originally writing this story. So I scrapped the next three chapters I had already written and returned to this week's update--chapter three--to fix it.  
> You may notice this chapter is longer than the ones I normally write. I'm trying to focus on adding more detail, instead of simply writing a play-by-play of what happens. I tend to finish stories with shorter word counts than a story generally should end with (50,000 words), and I'm trying to fix that. Practice makes perfect, and I might as well post my practice for anyone to enjoy.
> 
> Also, for some reason I decided to look up whether pirates had access to sourdough starters, even though it doesn't have to do with this chapter. It is now canon that Roy has a starter he named "Gnosh", as a bastardization of the name of everyone's favorite captain. Extra points for nosh being a word used for eating.  
> It may pop up in the future. It may not. Do you honestly think I plan out my stories? Maybe that will be what I focus on next lol


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, uh. Content warnings for this chapter? We dive a little into Riley's past. And we all know what Gnash saves him from in chapter one.

The second Captain Gnash was out of the galley, Roy said “he still calls you an ‘it’.”

Riley shrugged, looking around the room. “I don’t mind,” he said. “Most people treat omegas like that. Omegas don’t have rights.”

Roy stepped closer, putting a hand on Riley’s shoulders and leaning down slightly to be at eye level. “Listen to me, Riley. Above all else, you’re a _person_. And you deserve to be treated fairly, okay?”

“Agree to disagree.” Riley smiled shyly. “Can I sort through the crates?”

Roy sighed, taking his hands back and picking up his lunch. “If you think you can find somewhere to put it all.”

 _That_ was one thing Riley knew he was good at. He was _proud_ of his organizational skills. And if he wanted Captain Gnash to keep him, he needed to show that he was useful.

Especially because Captain Gnash didn’t want him for sex.

That was fine. (It wasn’t.) He had other uses. (He really didn’t.) He’d find a way to stay on the ship.

(He was terrified of leaving everything he’d ever known. Of being trapped on land while he watched the ship leave him behind.)

He was lucky Roy was a beta, and they were in a room constantly filled to the brim with scents of either what was currently cooking, or what was just cooked. He wouldn’t get questioned if he lost the tight grip he had on his own mental state and released even the slightest bit of the sour scent of distressed omega.

He started first with the cabinets, and whatever was currently put away.

 _Tossed_ was more like it. But he knew how much work it was to feed an entire ship, although not _personally_. It wasn’t Roy’s fault he didn’t have time to organize.

As Riley arranged spices and ingredients, he breathed through the pain of even a flash of a memory of his old ship. His first ship. The ship he was born and raised on, and thought he would die on.

He pushed the thought from his head.

Once the cabinets were clean and old things were thrown out, he could put the new things in the empty spaces. He kept to a certain system, a running guide in his mind of where everything was, and when there was too much of one thing to keep together in one place, he reorganized what was around it so it _would_ all fit together.

There were only a few things that wouldn’t fit anywhere. A much smaller pile than there was before, but a pile on the floor nonetheless.

Riley took comfort in the fact that they had enough food to last them a while. They wouldn’t have to stop for supplies soon, and it would be incredibly stupid from a strategic standpoint to dock before they truly needed to just to kick an omega off of the ship.

By the time Riley was done, it was almost time to serve dinner. Roy was just chopping up a final ingredient, and motioned for Riley to come over when he noticed the omega was done. “Wanna help me cut these up?”

Riley nodded, and Roy paused his own cutting to set up a space for Riley, including a sharp knife. “Cut them thin, like this,” Roy explained, gesturing to his own pile.

They worked silently, side by side, chopping long, green tubes of something Riley couldn’t name into smaller pieces. While Roy was quick with his work, producing uniform cuts, Riley was much slower, and his cuts were irregular, making every piece a different size.

“These aren’t coming out right,” Riley pouted halfway through.

“That’s alright,” Roy said, sliding his into the pot. “So long as it's edible, no one cares if it isn’t perfect. And if anyone says ‘hey! My scallions aren’t perfectly cut!’, all we’ll have to do is say you’re learning, and they’ll be overjoyed that an omega cooked their meal.”

Riley went back to cutting his scallions, thinking. “As a beta--” he started, then stopped himself.

“Go on,” Roy permitted. “I don’t mind.”

“As a beta,” Riley started again, picking his words carefully, “does the thought of an omega cooking make _you_ happy? Alphas are encouraged to be with omegas, and omegas should be with alphas, but what do betas get?”

“The leftovers,” Roy answered, picking up Riley’s recently finished portion and dropping it into the pot. “Some alphas don’t like omegas, or omegas don’t like alphas. Most of the time, betas get into a relationship with other betas, and sometimes betas don’t get in a relationship at all. I personally wouldn’t mind any dynamic that showed interest, but I don’t dare to hope.”

“I’m sorry,” Riley murmured. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Not much in life is,” said Roy.

They were silent after that, watching the contents of the pot cook. After a while, Roy moved to stop it, and opened the cabinet containing their dishes.

“How’s this: you put it in bowls, and I’ll bring it out?” Roy asked.

“How much do I put in?”

So Roy showed him, and they began getting the bowls out to the crew, Riley filling, Roy bringing them outside. No other member of the crew came into the galley, and soon, instead of a fresh pot of stew, Roy and Riley were standing in front of stacks of dirty dishes.

“I’ve got these,” Roy said. “How about you bring Captain Gnash some, and eat yours with him?”

“Are you sure?”

Roy nodded, so Riley grabbed two bowls and headed up, by himself, to find Captain Gnash.

Captain Gnash was in his quarters, at his desk, working on something. Riley set Captain Gnash’s bowl down on top of his work, giggling at the unamused look sent his way, and sat next to Captain Gnash on the bench. As the alpha moved the bowl to the side, finishing up his work, Riley primly ate his own stew and looked over what was on the desk.

Captain Gnash had been mapping their voyage, checking and double checking their route in relation to their destination. Riley froze as the facts caught up to him.

They weren’t far from their destination at all.

Somehow, inconceivably, the captain thought it was more important to get the omega off of his ship than it was to continue his own plans.

Riley’s grip on himself must have faltered, because the alpha turned to him. “What is it?”

Distantly, Riley could feel himself shaking, tears forming in his eyes and his breath coming out in short pants. The body next to him took whatever was in his hands, and he immediately grasped their clothing instead.

“ _Omega_.”

“Don’t leave me,” he chattered out. “I’m good. I can be good. I cleaned and organized the galley.” (Not good enough. There was still that bit of foodstuffs he couldn’t fit anywhere.) “I helped with dinner.” (His only contribution was messy and imperfect.) “I can help out.”

“You weren’t meant to be on a ship,” the body he was clutching-- _alpha_ \--murmured, petting his head soothingly and sending out calming pheromones. “You’d be safer in town.”

Riley didn’t understand. Of _course_ he was meant to be on a ship. He had been born on a ship. One of the few that had employed omegas. He grew up on that ship, learning how to work on a ship alongside his parents. There, he wasn’t an omega. It was the one time he was just _Riley_ , and his dynamic didn’t matter.

And then they had gotten attacked. Riley had watched everyone he loved die. They had only spared the unmated omegas on his ship. And then, when the omegas had fallen pregnant, they were killed too, until it was only Riley left.

Riley wasn’t a stranger to begging. He begged for his family’s lives. His fellow omegas’ and their unborn children’s lives. His own life, begging for himself to not be like them. To somehow, without reason, not fall pregnant himself.

And he hadn’t.

And then the people in charge of the decision between his life and death were killed. And his savior wanted nothing to do with him. Wanted to send him off to a life he did not know how to live, when he wanted so desperately to just return to his old life.

But he couldn’t speak of it. Even if the memories formed in his head, the words wouldn’t form on his tongue. He could only weep in the uncaring arms of a stranger and beg for a forgiveness that would never come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. This isn't, in the beginning, a happy story.


	5. Chapter 5

Gnash wasn’t sure what to make of the omega’s meltdown.

He had almost stormed down to the galley the next morning, to question what the hell Roy had done to the omega to make it cry into Gnash’s shirt, clutching the fabric as tight as it could, all night.

But the omega went straight back down to the galley the next morning, and Gnash wasn’t even sure Roy _had_ done anything.

Maybe omegas… just did that sometimes.

They had docked later that evening, the crew immediately rushing off the ship to spend their coin.

Gnash had coin to spend too. They didn’t need to restock much, but it would be smart to top off what they _had_ used.

Plus, he had plans for the omega.

Omegas didn’t belong on ships. They were too small and frail, and would only get hurt. Instead, they belonged in cities. Villages. With no need to worry if they were going to survive the day.

Gnash wasn’t going to pamper the omega, but he also wasn’t going to just throw it on land and let it on its way.

He’d take it to a tavern, make sure it had its own plan, and then leave it be.

When they were all set to go on land, he headed down to the galley, arriving at the door just as a conversation was finishing up inside.

“You’ll be fine, Riley. Maybe another ship can pass by soon, and you can join their crew!”

“Omegas aren’t allowed on pirate ships.”

Gnash opened the door, observing the scene inside.

Roy had his hands on the omega’s shoulders, leant down a bit so they were eye to eye. The omega turned as Gnash opened the door, the look on its face complimenting the sour scent of distressed omega in the air.

The scent that had surrounded the omega since the night before.

But what was bothering it, Gnash didn’t know.

“Are we about to go?” It asked, stepping closer to Gnash.

Gnash nodded.

Roy spoke up one last time before they left. “Riley. Remember what I told you.”

But the omega didn’t respond.

It was quiet as they got off of the ship.

Quiet as they walked through the town.

Heads turned as they passed, and for once, Gnash wasn’t sure if it was because of him or the omega. Most likely, they were drawing their own conclusions about the two of them. The most notorious pirate in the world and an omega reeking of distress?

Let them. Gnash didn’t care for gossip.

They entered the first tavern they saw. Possibly the only tavern this town had, if Gnash had bothered to check. But the tavern itself didn’t matter to Gnash.

Getting the omega off of his ship did.

Gnash moved to speak with the apparent owner, but paused as a “Riley!” shot through the air.

He watched as the omega perked up, the smell of its distress dissipating as it followed the call.

Against his better judgement, Gnash followed too.

The omega moved to a table with an older alpha who had definitely seen his fair share of fights. A few scars marred his face, some interrupting the growth of white hairs on his head. But the alpha smiled, arms open as the omega threw itself at him.

“Darrin!”

Gnash paused before the table, unsure. It was obvious the omega knew this alpha, but Gnash hadn’t planned on just… leaving the omega with someone he didn’t know. And so soon.

He sat as the two gushed over each other.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again!”

“You’ve grown so much! What are you now? Eighteen? How is everyone else?”

The omega’s face fell. “They… We were…”

The scent was back. The distress of an omega.

Gnash cleared his throat, swinging their attention to him. “How do you two know each other?”

The alpha blinked, taking Gnash in. “I used to be a member of his old ship.”

Gnash thought back to how he found the omega. Trapped in a cage, used and abused within an inch of its life.

A growl grew from his chest, gaining the attention of the tables around them. 

The omega jumped up, leaning halfway across the table to put a hand on Gnash’s arm. “ _No!_ He’s a friend, Alpha!”

The other alpha looked between the two of them in alarm. Then, he settled his eyes on the omega. “How about you order yourself something, Riley? I’ll pay.”

The omega hesitated before nodding. “Okay.”

As he walked away, the other alpha leaned in. “What troubles you, Captain Gnash?”

Gnash seethed. “I found him locked in the deepest parts of a ship. Without food, until all he knew of others was the shove of their cocks inside him. And you _worked_ for that ship?”

“ _No_ ,” the other alpha breathed out. He looked to where the omega stood, talking with the bartender. “I had no ide--I knew his parents. Before he was born. Everyone on the ship practically _raised_ him. We would have _never_ done that.”

“Until you retired, and he found his way into _their_ hands.”

The alpha let out a shuddering breath, staring at the table. His eyes were rimmed with red, but he held back what was threatening to escape. “If I had known, I would have _died_ before I let it happen.”

“Then take care of him now. I can’t have an omega on my ship.”

“He’s not like you and me. He was born on a ship. It’s all he’s ever known. And I’m too old for advent--”

The alpha cut himself off, face paling as he looked around the room. “Where is he?”

Gnash glanced around the room, but didn’t catch sight of it. He shrugged, standing. It was just an unruly omega’s tricks, and he had already found what he needed in this tavern. “He’s yours now.”

And then Gnash left.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: heed the tags. This IS tagged "rape/non-con", and has been since the beginning

Gnash couldn’t sleep that night.

The ship was docked, waiting for the crew to seek their pleasures before they set sail the next morning.

Gnash had never been one to associate with anything that wasn’t on a ship, so he stayed in his cabin.

And tossed.

And turned.

And tossed.

And turned.

He was surrounded by the scent of the bed’s last occupant, each inhale turning his thoughts away from sleep and to what had happened in the tavern.

How the omega had gone missing.

Not for the first time that night, Gnash threw the thought out of his mind. He had given the omega to that older alpha. It wasn’t his job to worry over what had happened to it.

Still, the thoughts flashed through his mind. Memories of how he found the omega. Imaginations of how it was treated, locked in that small cell.

It gnawed at him. Festered in his brain until he was grumbling, pulling on his clothes.

And leaving the ship.

His search started at the tavern.

It was the last place he had seen the omega, and so it only felt right for it to be the first place to search.

The inside was filled with drunken fools, the ale sloshing unnoticed out of their cups.

Gnash craned his neck to see over their writhing bodies, searching for either the familiar head of brown hair or its new guardian’s white.

But even after scanning the room a few times, all Gnash found were heads he recognized, but didn’t want to see at that moment.

So he moved his search to the perimeter outside the tavern. Stepped over questionable puddles and searched anywhere a body might hide.

And then expanded his search to the next building. 

And the next.

Just as he was beginning to consider breaking down residents’ doors and holding a blade to their throats until they gave him some _damn_ information, he heard it.

A choked off noise.

He followed it to an alley.

And he relaxed, somehow, at the sight.

Because he _knew_ that brown head of hair.

He stepped closer, making sure his steps were slow and obvious to the curled up form, until he was in range to kneel before the body.

Riley’s knees were to his chest, his head down, and his arms around himself. Hugging himself. What little he was wearing was tattered, ripped until it was barely anything at all.

But he was there. And he was alive.

“Riley,” Gnash murmured, trying to get his attention without spooking him.

And Riley looked up, blinking through his tears.

Gnash wanted to gently wipe them away.

Wanted to find whoever had done this-- _again_ \--and make sure their death was slow. Cut off their fingers one by one and revel in their screams.

Cut off other parts of their body, too.

He breathed in, sorting the scents on Riley that weren’t supposed to be there and memorizing them. The scent of distressed omega was strongest, of course, but under that, he could still find the smells of sex-- _rape_ \--and _two_ distinct alphas, neither Gnash nor the older alpha Riley had been entrusted to. It would be so easy to track them. Find the people the scents belonged to and get Riley’s revenge.

But Gnash had more important matters to attend to.

He shrugged off his jacket, placing it over Riley’s shoulders and helping him slide his arms through the sleeves.

“I’m gonna pick you up and carry you back,” Gnash warned, wanting Riley’s permission before he touched him.

Not wanting to be the one who did _anything_ without Riley’s explicit permission. Not anymore.

Riley took a sharp breath, his eyes widening. “N--”

“To the ship,” Gnash clarified a little too quickly. “You’re not leaving me again.”

 _Never_.

Slowly, a smile grew on Riley’s face.

And he opened his arms for Gnash.


	7. Chapter 7

Gnash woke that morning with a weight on his chest.

Generally speaking, that wasn’t a good feeling for a pirate constantly in some battle or another. A weight on your chest meant you failed, and you were seconds away from your head getting bashed in.

But Gnash wasn’t afraid. He was content to stay under the weight, to keep the weight _here_ until it needed--

With a gasp, Gnash’s eyes flew open.

“ _Riley_.”

Gnash had tried to get Riley in the bed last night, but the omega insisted on sleeping with the alpha, crawling into the pile of sheets Gnash slept on and cuddling up to him.

And who was Gnash to deny him, after all that had happened?

Gnash was quickly forgetting why he had to leave. His limbs felt heavy, and they only wanted to move if it was in order to touch the omega.

“Riley,” Gnash tried again. “ _Omega_.”

Riley mewled, rubbing his face on Gnash’s chest before picking it up slightly and opening his eyes.

“I have to go,” Gnash explained softly.

Riley put his head back down on Gnash’s chest, face down, and shook his head.

“Riley, you’re in heat.”

Even with being a pirate all his life, Gnash knew there was a chance omegas would go into heat after a traumatic experience.

The ship hadn’t left town yet. Gnash could still track down those alphas--

“Stay,” Riley mumbled, twisting to throw a leg over Gnash and keep him there.

Gnash tried not to think about what was pressed next to his leg.

He tipped his head back, to where the air was a bit clearer, not near the source of the heat pheromones, and breathed until his mind cleared a bit.

“I can get Roy to watch over you, if you want.”

He hated the words, even as they were coming out of his mouth, but if it was what was best for Riley…

It was silent for a while. Gnash was beginning to wonder if Riley had fallen back asleep until Riley sighed and rolled onto his back.

“I don’t want Roy.”

Gnash didn’t dare ask _what_ Riley wanted.

“I’ll be just outside. No one will be able to get in.”

Riley turned his head to look at Gnash. Took a deep breath. Then, as if it physically pained him, he whispered “go.”

So Gnash went.

Gnash spent the next week unable to enter his own room. Instead, he stayed up deep into the night, keeping an eye on the door to his own quarters until he couldn’t keep his eyes open at all. Then, he’d stumble down to claim a bed where the rest of the crew slept and woke up long before anyone else, only to do the same thing all over again.

The only one allowed access in and out of his room was Roy. Roy, who popped in to check on Riley and make sure he was eating and hydrated.

Roy, who Gnash scrutinized every time the beta left his room, making sure not even a single hair was out of place on the beta’s head.

Gnash tried to reason with himself. Roy was a beta. He wasn’t affected by an omega’s heat.

He had already trusted Roy with so much concerning Riley.

And Riley and Roy were friends, anyway. Roy cared for the omega.

Riley had the right to pick whoever he wanted for a heat partner. If he picked Roy, Gnash would have to accept it.

Gnash was going crazy. But he had come to realize something.

On the seventh night, shortly after the crew left for bed, the door to Gnash’s room opened, and Riley stepped out.

If he had spent the week in agony, unable to escape his own hormonal desires, it didn’t show. In fact, in Gnash’s eyes, he looked better than ever before.

Beautiful.

Radiant.

An angel.

From his place at the helm of the ship, Gnash said “leave the door open. Let it air out.”

Riley did, stepping up to his place next to Gnash.

So Gnash began the discussion he had been planning to start at this very moment, each word said with practiced ease.

“You wanted me to claim you so no one would hurt you again.”

Riley blinked. But, he continued the conversation. “I do.”

“Why me?”

Riley sighed, but stood straighter, looking directly into Gnash’s eyes. “Because even when I was trapped _there_ , I still heard the stories. And I thought there was no way someone like that existed. That if there was a god, it would be the fearsome Captain Gnash.” Riley looked away then, raising his arms to hug himself. “So I began praying to this mythical god. That if we were going to be saved, surely it was by the hand of Captain Gnash.”

“‘We’?”

Riley’s eyes returned to Gnash. “I was locked up with five other omegas.”

Gnash’s stomach plummeted, but Riley continued.

“When one of us would fall pregnant, they’d come in to hurt us. Kill whoever was pregnant, and make sure the rest of us would know our own fates if we went down the same path. Sometimes they’d parade the body around _one last time_ , but sometimes they’d leave it, and we’d have to watch it slowly decay.”

“Riley--”

“So I prayed to Captain Gnash to save us. To make sure the pups, at least, were safe. And when I was the last one left, you came. You saved _me_ . And I remember thinking ‘surely, this is a god. How else could anyone be so destructive _and_ so devastatingly good looking?’”

At this, Riley smiled wryly, and it was Gnash’s turn to blink in surprise. But before he could think much about it, Riley continued.

“And then I realized you were just a normal alpha. And I thought that if I convinced you to claim me, surely I’d be safe. Someone would take a single whiff of your scent on me and run for the hills. But no one wants a fucked up omega. Not even a god.”

“You aren’t fucked up,” Gnash replied instinctively. Then, his brain caught up. “And a god is a new one. I haven’t heard that one before.”

“Sorry. It must be weird to be idolized like that.”

“No.” Gnash smirked, leaning back on the wheel of the ship. “By all means.”

Riley giggled. Then, he turned serious again. “It still helps sometimes. When I start thinking ‘why me? Why am I still alive?’”

“Have you ever considered maybe you can’t get pregnant?”

Gnash could have screamed at himself.

Omegas took pride in the fact that they were the only dynamic that could have children. There wasn’t a single omega in the world who didn’t dream of having pups.

Gnash didn’t know how long Riley was there--wouldn’t _dare_ ask--but if he was the only one left alive out of a group killed solely for the sin of being pregnant--

Impossibly, Riley smiled.

It grew slowly, but the omega was giddy with the idea. “That makes so much sense,” he breathed out. “I mean, _ow_. I definitely want kids. But that means I didn’t survive because I was _better_ than them somehow! I’m alive only because they never would have the reason to kill me!”

Riley threw himself at Gnash, hugging the alpha, and slowly, confusedly, Gnash returned the hug, rubbing Riley’s lower back.

The amount of happy pheromones coming off of the omega was… staggering.

“Is that a weird thing to be happy about? Oh, who cares! We can live in the moment!”

“Riley…”

Gnash could feel his mind getting hazy. So, so quickly…

“And that means I can definitely stay, right?”

He had to get away, quick. He tried to unwrap his arms from around Riley, pushing through his muddled mind.

“I mean, I still have heats, _obviously_ , but--”

“ _Riley_.”

Riley picked his head up at the choked sound. His eyes widened as he recognized the look on Gnash’s face, and he jumped to steady the alpha. “Oh fu--”

But Gnash blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Gnash regained consciousness in stages.

First, he noticed the weight on his legs. Someone sitting in his lap.

Then, he realized the scent in his nose. So powerful, he could almost taste it. Content. A hint of arousal. Sweet and omegan and addictive. Gnash took a deep breath, probably just like every other breath he had taken while under the spell of the omega’s scent, his body desperate to lose itself.

And then he realized he was tied up.

His arms were behind his back, and he could feel the wooden railing between his hands. The rope tied around his wrists, chafing the skin.

“Riley.”

The omega in question leaned back, and Gnash’s body automatically leaned with him, wanting to forever keep Gnash’s nose pressed against the omega’s scent gland. But Riley put a hand to Gnash’s chest, pushing him back, and Gnash’s body went willingly.

Gnash’s face flushed. He should have been better than this. Have a better control over his own body.

“Are you okay?” Riley murmured, running his hands though Gnash’s hair.

Gnash tried to slip out of the rope, but it was tight. Well tied. “I’m sorry if I gave you problems.”

“It’s fine,” Riley murmured easily, fingers playing with Gnash’s hair. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone who was scent drunk. You were mostly just hanging off of me, but I tied you up in case you didn’t want to be… handsy.”

It didn’t really ease Gnash’s embarrassment.

Getting scent drunk was something only teenagers did, when they were still getting used to being around other dynamics and they got a little too overloaded. Sometimes, mated pairs got scent drunk off of each other, to be close to each other, but it was a very ‘behind closed doors’ sort of thing.

And Gnash wasn’t a teenager. Nor were he and Riley in a relationship.

“Did I make you feel uncomfortable?”

Riley shook his head, his hands sliding to Gnash’s jaw. “I don’t mind.”

His gaze was on Gnash’s mouth, but his eyes flicked up to meet Gnash’s own. He searched for any complaint, but found none.

So, slowly, he leaned in.

Gnash wanted so desperately to meet him in the middle. But Riley’s hands cupped his jaw so softly. So reverently. So Gnash stayed obediently still.

And their lips touched. Hesitatingly, but gaining confidence as Gnash responded.

Gnash wished he could touch Riley. That his hands weren’t tied behind his back. That, as the kiss deepened, he could keep his hands on Riley’s hips. Grind into the body above him just a little, and relieve some of the tension.

Distantly, he heard a crack, but paid it no mind as he moved to slide his hands up Riley’s legs.

But then Riley was standing, stepping back. He was panting, affected by the kiss.

Gnash was too.

“I…” Riley started. Then, he took a second to compose himself. “... Good night.”

And then he was stepping back into the room, leaving Gnash to pick up the pieces of himself strewn across the deck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sure, I'll write a sex scene. No problem. But I'll pterodactyl screech the entire time I'm writing one (1) smooch. And then again when I have to type it up to post it.


	9. Chapter 9

So Riley wanted to go slow.

Gnash could respect that. Given Riley’s history, they could go at whatever pace he chose.

But Gnash wasn’t going to give up. He had accepted his attraction to the omega. That he wanted Riley to stay.

And if Riley stayed, he’d have to learn some things.

Gnash intercepted Riley before the omega could head down to the galley.

“I have something I’d like you to do.”

Riley hesitated, glancing at the stairs leading down into the ship, but nodded.

Gnash led them to the center of the ship, surrounded by his crew focused on their jobs. This was as much of a test for them as it was a rest for Riley’s constitution.

Gnash had brought two swords with him, and handed one to Riley, who blinked in surprise, but took it.

“Do you know whose ship you’re on?”

Riley’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yes?”

“And you know the tales of this ship? How dangerous it is to be part of the crew?”

Riley must have understood what Gnash was getting at, as he smiled. “Yes, sir!”

Gnash tried not to show his amusement at the title, instead drawing his sword and getting into position. “Show me what you know.”

Riley looked down at the sword in his hands. Slowly, he unsheathed it, looking over every angle of it. Then, he gently set the sheath on the ground and looked up at Gnash. “I’ve never held a sword before.”

“Hold it tight,” Gnash instructed, “and keep your legs shoulder-width apart, like this.” He shifted, drawing attention to his own legs. “When you receive an attack, meet it with your sword, and put your weight on your front leg so you don’t lose your balance.”

Slowly, he made an attack, and Riley met it, gently crossing their swords.

“Put as much of your strength into it as you can, or else your enemy could do _this_ ,” Gnash continued, twirling his sword so Riley lost grip, the sword flying across the deck.

Riley squawked, watching the sword fly through the air. He turned back to Gnash, his mouth agape in indignation, but Gnash only gestured to the sword with a tilt of his head.

Riley marched over to the sword, picked it up, and marched back, getting into position again opposite of Gnash.

“Meet me as hard as you can” was all Gnash said before he slowly attacked again.

With Riley meeting his sword much more intensely, Gnash took the chance to press harder. Change up the angle with every strike. 

He was still going much too easy on the omega, but he wouldn’t truly strike until he was sure Riley could take it.

Near the outskirts of their training, Gnash spotted one of his men, a question in his eyes and a hand on his own sword.

Gnash stepped back and gestured to Riley. “Go easy on him,” he said, sheathing his sword.

Riley glanced between Gnash and the crewmate, taking an uncertain step back. The other alpha smiled, and Riley smiled back, although it was more of a grimace, and Gnash almost stepped in, bringing an end before anything began for Riley’s comfort.

Until the alpha said “let me teach you how to defeat Captain Gnash,” and Riley smiled, relieved, and nodded.

Instead, Gnash watched from the sidelines as the other alpha imparted his wisdom.

As another crewmate later stepped up and gave tips too.

And another.

Gnash watched until he was sure his crew only had good intentions for their newest member, and then he got to work on his own tasks.

Later that evening, Riley entered Gnash’s room, hissing at a cut down the back of his arm.

Gnash turned from his papers. “Let me get it,” he said, leading Riley to the bench and grabbing some bandages. “Tell me how you got this.”

“I got tired,” Riley said simply. “Got out of the groove. It was a complete accident.”

“They haven’t been trying to take advantage of you?”

“No, Alpha.”

“Good.” Gnash finished up with the bandage, wrapping it in itself to keep it on Riley’s wound. “You have my permission to use their teachings against them if they do,” he said before pressing a quick kiss to Riley’s forehead.

Riley’s eyes were wide when Gnash sat back down, but slowly, he titled his head up, silently asking for another kiss.

Gnash acquiesced. Once. “You think you’re ready to take on another ship now?”

“Kiss,” was all Riley said, stealing three more from Gnash.

“What?” Gnash joked under the onslaught. “You don’t want to talk about spilling the guts of our enemies?”

Riley groaned, wrapping his arms around Gnash’s neck and leaning back on the bench until Gnash was on top of him.

Gnash chuckled, nipping at Riley’s jaw before trailing kisses down his neck. When he got to the juncture between Riley’s neck and shoulder, the omega gasped, and he paused.

“ _Please_ ,” Riley whispered.

It would be so easy to mark the omega. To make him _his_ , unable to stay away. He just had to sink his teeth into the scent gland, and his mouth watered at the thought.

But, instead, he sat up. Turned away from the panting omega, as difficult as it was, and cleared his throat. “You should get to sleep. You’ll be exhausted from the training.”

Riley stared at him for a minute longer, pouting. But Gnash refused to look at him, knowing that’s all it would take before Gnash’s teeth would be rupturing that gland and the sweet taste of _his omega_ would be filling his mouth.

Finally, Riley gave up. Got up. And got ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, pirate sword fighting is a strange mixture of what I've learned from Krav Maga and Landsknecht classes...


	10. Chapter 10

Riley _was_ sore the next morning, but not in the way he wanted to be.

Sure, he was nervous about being with Gnash. Who _wouldn’t_ be at least a little nervous bedding a god? But, as an omega, he’d never achieve a god-like status. He’d never be perfect.

He’d just have to make do.

He started off the day with small tasks around the ship, gauging his soreness and range of motion. Then, he grabbed one of his prior instructors--whichever was available at the moment--and practiced more with the sword.

Gnash’s ship had many enemies. None of them would wait for Riley to be ready before they attacked.

And Riley wasn’t going to be defenseless again.

They didn’t wait for Riley to be even remotely ready.

Gnash’s ship was barely a few weeks out at sea when it was noticed by another ship.

Riley’s head whipped around when the cry rang out: there was another ship in the distance. Around him, the crew scurried to get ready.

Gnash stood calm at the helm, passively watching the oncoming ship.

Riley walked over until they stood side by side, watching the ship. Watching the crew ready themselves.

“Do you want to hide?”

“No.”

Gnash looked over at him. Surveyed. Although his gaze was impassive, Riley thought he could tell what was running through the alpha’s mind.

_I want you to hide._

But Gnash said “ready yourself for when they get close. And try not to get hurt.”

So Riley got ready. He grabbed a sword, his mind filling with the techniques he learned within the past few days.

He would not be defenseless.

He would fight.

Gnash’s crew let the other pirates on the ship easily. There was no cannonfire. Nothing to suggest the crew was going to fight back. 

Riley almost questioned what they were doing.

And then, they were being boarded, and the men leapt into action.

Even Riley was caught off guard by the sudden change. Gnash’s men had lulled their enemies into a false sense of security before striking.

Fast and deadly, the bodies fell around them. If this was the crew’s usual technique for killing rivals, Riley found himself wondering how they got the bloodstains off of the deck. How they looked so unassuming.

A pirate from the other ship had made it past the sea of bodies, close to where Riley stood, dumbstruck at the scene before him. Both Riley and the stranger scented the air and the stranger’s lips stretched into a smile while Riley cursed.

 _Alpha_.

Alphas were, by nature, stronger than omegas. Most of the men on ships were alphas, and Riley had primarily trained with alphas, but there was a large difference between the alphas he trained with and the alpha he now faced:

Gnash’s alphas weren’t out to hurt him.

Needless to say, Riley was nervous for his first real battle. But he stared the alpha down, his head filling again with his lessons.

He was omegan. Intelligent. Faster.

Smaller.

He stooped down and lunged forward, slashing at the alpha’s knees. At the unexpected force to the back of his knees, the alpha went down, and Riley stepped closer, slashing at his belly. His insides very quickly became his outsides and sure, he wasn’t dead.

But it would be very difficult to get up with his guts spilling across the floor, and Riley took the chance that he wouldn’t try.

Riley surveyed the battle, finding Gnash almost halfway across the ship, easily hacking down the crowd around him. Being right in the middle of things, as soon as one man was down, another would take his place. But Gnash seemed unbothered, never stopping his attack.

As if he felt Riley’s gaze, Gnash looked up. Their eyes met across the ship.

And then Riley felt the sword at his throat.

“What do we have here?” came a voice from behind him, and Riley could feel the pirate’s breath against his ear. “An omega? Tell me, are you the captain’s bitch? Or communal?”

Riley hissed, straining his neck away and bringing his hands up to push against the sword. I meant cutting into his fingers, but he’d rather his fingers bleed than his neck.

“Wonder how tight you’ll grip me when I shove my cock up your--”

In the blink of an eye, Gnash was suddenly there, pulling the pirate off of Riley and slashing.

And slashing.

And slashing. Until Riley wasn’t even sure what the pirate’s original skin color was.

It was just… red.

Lightly, Riley placed a hand on Gnash’s arm, stopping his next swing. “Gnash…”

Gnash turned to him, panting, with a wild look in his eyes, and Riley knew without even sniffing the air just how, exactly, Gnash had made it halfway across the ship to save his life.

Gnash grabbed him, much more gently than Riley would have expected he’d be able to in this state, and led him to his rooms.

“ _Stay_ ,” Gnash commanded through clenched teeth, throwing Riley in and slamming the door shut.

And Riley couldn’t disobey.


	11. Chapter 11

The sounds of fighting were barely over when the door suddenly opened, slamming into the wall beside the doorway.

Riley flinched, surprised, but he wasn’t scared as Gnash stalked over to him, all intimidating alpha.

He looked Gnash over, finding the dew careless wounds on his body. Places where his clothes were ripped and tattered, blood oozing out onto the fabric.

Gnash grabbed his arms, his hands easily encircling the entire width of the omega’s arms, and pushed them further into the room. But Riley moved his elbows out, gently testing Gnash’s restraining grip, and Gnash immediately stopped, letting him go.

Riley paused, eyebrows knitting together as he took in the alpha before him.

Gnash’s entire body was tense. His hands lay at his sides, flexing, but he made no move forward.

And he stared at Riley. Patiently waiting, no matter how much it pained him.

Riley glanced at the door. Swallowed. “You’re going to bleed everywhere.”

Gnash didn’t respond.

“Can I… get some supplies? For your wounds.”

A growl escaped, but Gnash cut it off quickly.

Riley still understood. “Let me at least wrap some bandages around them.”

When Gnash didn’t respond, Riley moved to gather up what he could from Gnash’s room. He wouldn’t be able to clean the cuts, but he could at least help stop the bleeding.

Slowly, he placed his hands on Gnash’s jacket, and when Gnash didn’t move to stop him, slipped it off of the alpha’s shoulders. Letting it fall to the floor, he tugged on the bottom of Gnash’s shirt, getting it over his head before wrapping strips of cloth around Gnash’s wounds. As he worked, he tried to place what exactly was happening. He knew Gnash was in rut. The scent filling the room wouldn’t let him forget it for a second, and he knew it was because he had almost died, and Gnash had dropped his careful control to save him.

But Riley also knew that alphas in rut were possessive. Domineering. Riley had thought that Gnash being in rut meant he would be thrown into bed and pressed into at the first chance, but Gnash was letting Riley do what he wished, and Riley was confused.

“Do you want me?” Riley asked, looking up at Gnash as he tied off the last bandage.

Gnash’s eyes immediately locked onto Riley’s pristine neck, and it was a long moment before he tore his gaze away and to Riley’s eyes.

“Yes or no, Gnash.”

Gnash snarled. “Beckett.”

“What?”

“First… name.”

Riley smiled patiently. He knew speech was hard for alphas in rut, but he wanted confirmation. “Okay then, _Beckett_ ,” he said, his smile growing larger when Gnash groaned. “Do you want to fuck me? Yes or no.”

But Gnash didn’t answer yes or no.

Gnash whispered “please.”

And Riley suddenly realized why Gnash wasn’t throwing him down.

Riley, an omega with no rights, was in control.

“Okay. Go lay down on the bed for me.”

As Gnash scrambled to obey, Riley moved to the space between Gnash’s desk and the wall, where Gnash liked to store extra rope. Riley didn’t really know why, hadn’t questioned the items Gnash kept on hand, but he knew what they were going to use it for now.

When he turned back around, Gnash was laying on his back, his arms propped up so he could watch Riley.

Riley straddled him, gently pulling his wrists forward before tying them together with the rope and placing them over Gnash’s head.

Gnash tensed, about to break free, but Riley ran a hand down his arm. “You and I both know you can break out of this, but don’t, okay? For me?”

Gnash relaxed, and Riley smiled wickedly. He wanted to see how far Gnash would let him go. The boundaries of his control.

Riley slid down, making sure Gnash could feel it against his clothed dick, and Gnash groaned, but kept his hands above his head.

Riley made sure they maintained eye contact as he slid the alpha’s pants down. And when he was sure Gnash was only paying attention to him, he swooped down and took Gnash into his mouth.

Gnash tensed, his arms twitching to move. But he stayed still. He _obeyed_ Riley.

Riley almost felt bad when he pulled off at the last second, leaving Gnash groaning and panting.

But still obeying.

Riley moved up, hovering over the body underneath him to whisper in his ear. “ _Beckett_. Do you want to knot me? Bite me? Make me yours?”

Gnash’s hips instinctively thrust up, even though there was nothing to thrust into, and Riley could tell from his eyes what the answer was, even if he didn’t say it.

 _Yes_.

Riley still had to get undressed himself, and he tried to be casual about it. Enough to tease without making it too obvious that he was.

Without making his _need_ obvious.

But he was needy. His body had begun reacting the second Gnash had saved him from that pirate. The second Gnash tunneled deep into his rut to protect Riley, despite the consequences.

Riley himself wasn’t in heat, but he was definitely wet enough for it. Ready enough for it.

Gnash’s eyes followed Riley’s every move as the omega lowered himself on Gnash’s straining cock. His arms moved, but Riley pushed them back to the bed.

“No touching, Alpha.”

Gnash growled but acquiesced, letting Riley do whatever he wanted.

And Riley did.

Riley had never been the one in control. Had never gotten the chance to experiment himself, constantly being forced instead to adhere to others’ wishes.

And so he played with what he could. Rhythm. Angle. Intensity and speed and--

When he hit that place inside of himself, he gasped out. “ _Beckett_! Fuck…”

And Gnash let him. Let an omega use him until he was shaking. Until mutual release was on the horizon.

Until Riley cried out “touch me! Bite me!”

And Gnash’s hands ripped free as he surged up to sink his teeth into _his_ omega.

 _His_ Riley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this scene planned out for a really long time. Basically since starting this fic, I've had the idea of Riley being the dominant one, and using rope to tie Gnash up (even though Gnash could 100% get out of it).  
> But I tend to have a difficult time with sex scenes, and this chapter took longer than it should to write, just due to procrastination.  
> I won't pretend to be something I'm not.
> 
> At the end of fics, I tend to talk about my next project in case you'd be interested in more of my writing, but I'm thinking of taking a little break to focus on something that isn't omegaverse (and therefore I won't be posting on ao3). My next omegaverse project is going to be titled "Three Of A Kind" and focuses on a poly relationship (because I need the practice for a story I promised my friend I would write lol), but I'm not sure of a timeline to say that I will begin posting that...


End file.
